My mind naturally drifts to replacement rides as I’m trying to sell my Solstice. The ideal situation, financially, would be to not have a replacement ride at all. The Montero and Cylon cover my transportation needs. However, I am concerned that the more I drive Monty in stop-and-go traffic the more likely he is to break down. I’d rather keep him on cargo/dog hauling duty and take him off of daily driver duty. I’d like my next car to seat four or so folks comfortably, fuel economy in the mid-20s to 30s, and be fun to drive, by my standards. I have a list of other minor requirements/nice to haves, such as xenon lights. I want a fast, lightweight, small, maneuverable people and cargo hauler. “Economy compact car” sounds awfully boring, so I call this concept the attack shuttle. It makes me sleep better at night.

Enter the Dodge Caliber SRT-4.

The 2007 Dodge Caliber SRT-4 is a mash-up between a somewhat goofy-looking econobox and a mad scientist. The SRT-4 will feature a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces an estimated 300 horsepower and 260 ft/lb of torque. Dodge claims a 0-60 time of less than six seconds. To put it bluntly, that’s just a hair shy of totally ridiculous for a small hatchback car straight from the factory. Mated with a 6-speed Gertrag manual transmission and a limited-slip differential, this front-wheel drive econobox should be a hoot to drive. With 18″ wheels and brakes borrowed from the 300C, slamming this little guy to a stop will generate a pucker for sho sho.

God damn, that thing is ugly.

There are, of course, concerns. One is interior build quality. My disappointment with the fit and finish of the Solstice has made me twice-shy about buying another American car. Granted, I won’t have the poor convertible top fitment issue on the Caliber, but who knows what kind of gnarly road noise and general interior weaknesses one may have with a Dodge. I guess Stilts can answer that, as he’s the (most satisfied, I think) owner of a Dodge Ram truck.

The other concern is price. The rumored street price on a base Caliber SRT-4 is $26,000. For that price you could grab an all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza WRX. There are other cars in that price range that I’m interested in, but at what point do I consider trading the better fit and finish of a different $26,000+ vehicle for, you know, 300 horsepower? Mmm, 300 horses.

The other candidates in the “attack shuttle” category include the Volkswagen GTi, the aforementioned WRX, and possibly a Mazda 3S. I’m not in a hurry to get a new car right now, so we’ll see what happens with the SRT-4 later this summer when it’s supposed to hit the streets.